Becoming the Dark Lord

Chapter 538: The Soul Devourer

Luke had been caught in the Midnight King's grip, his body turning to stone.

"I devour souls," the archangel said, smiling, "and you have delivered yours to me on a silver platter."

Luke summoned a knife.

[Crimson Fang activated]

He drove it into the archangel's chest. The creature recoiled, releasing him. "You worthless little bastard!"

[Shadow Ball activated]

Luke hurled volley after volley of shadow orbs into the archangel.

[Burst Throw activated]

A knife flew straight into the creature's face. He sprinted away while the archangel cursed behind him, using the brief distraction to put distance between them. After a few frantic turns he ducked into a ruined house, watching from the shadows as the archangel soared overhead.

Sariel's Eye, somehow, still carried traces of the archangel's presence.

"Running won't save you, demon! This is my realm, and we have all the time in the world!" the archangel's voice shook the sky.

If a core fusion failed, the creature would take over the host's body and be reborn through it. That was why the method of claiming a second core had been abandoned. The risk wasn't worth the reward.

If I lose here, it'll be the archangel who returns, through my body.

***

Henry had just returned from his trip to Arcadia's temple. He'd even passed by the old military outpost, the one that used to serve as a temporary village. His journey had paid off: he finally managed to assemble every piece of the temple maps, guided by the memory echo he witnessed of the vampire Charlie speaking with the winged woman, Angie.

He had assumed Luke died in Arcadia. Henry knew the Daimyo had gone there to deal with the people who tried to deceive him. But apparently nothing happened. If the Daimyo had killed Luke or Charlie or Angie, their heads would've been displayed on stakes like the others from Arcadia.

Which left Henry cornered. He knew Luke had gone to Arcadia. He knew Charlie and Angie had been using the Spore Forest Temple as their base. And then, at some point, the three simply vanished. But he made progress once he assembled all four maps and realized the Dimensional Rift map formed a smiling face. With the knowledge from the riddle and his memory of the region's geography, Henry deduced that the "mouth" was where the final temple must be hidden. So he headed to the outpost near the abyss.

And found something.

"They came here, slaughtered all the soldiers, and just left?" he asked.

He stood in a briefing with several of the baron's soldiers, listening to their report. While he had been away, that outpost had been attacked twice.

"The baron ordered us to evacuate this area and the other hideouts in a few days. He wants everyone back to reinforce Cassandra's army base. He's planning his next move soon," one soldier said.

"Take me to the corpses you found," Henry ordered.

Reports from survivors didn't interest him. He preferred to learn from the dead. And he did. Using his Rank Skill, he witnessed the final moments of each fallen soldier, confirming what he already suspected.

Charlie and Angie attacked this place.

In one of the deaths, he saw someone's throat being slit or a dagger striking from the shadows.

That isn't Charlie's or Angie's fighting style. Must be Luke's.

He watched every death carefully, then activated another skill.

[Thief's Tracking (Rare)]: The thief follows when it's profitable and vanishes when it's not. Allows tracking individuals through almost imperceptible traces: displaced dust, half-erased footprints, and objects slightly out of place. Reveals escape routes, blind spots, and moments of vulnerability. The effect grows stronger while the target remains unaware of being pursued.

Footprints shimmered into view for Henry, glowing faintly along the ground.

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A lot of those idiots walked through here. Finding the right trail is going to be a pain.

He checked the death echoes of each body, watching their last steps, until finally he saw the illusion of Charlie's footprint. He followed it, step after step… until it ended beside several others at the edge of the abyss.

"Knew it. Those bastards jumped."

Either they were all dead, or the abyss wasn't actually bottomless.

"Tell the baron I found the temple. And tell him to send soldiers."

I'll avenge you, Dolores. They're all going to pay.

***

Luke was meditating inside one of the buildings, hiding in what little cover he could find. He had no idea how much real time had passed. In terms of days, maybe weeks, but the flow here was warped. Some days lasted a handful of hours. Others dragged on endlessly, like time had been stretched thin. He'd explored every corner of the illusion just to know its limits. The world extended only to the capital gates; it didn't even reach the castle.

A massive false wall mimicked the rest of the city, but it was nothing but a painted lie. Part of him was disappointed. He had hoped he could revisit other places from the tutorial… just for nostalgia. Still, this place had sharpened his convictions. One simple idea, born back then and now solidified: a utopia. A world without inequality. A world where crime was nearly nonexistent, where no one starved. A world without elections or wars over thrones, because there would be only one throne. One ruler.

He opened his eyes. From the rooftop he was hiding on, he could see the archangel circling above the city. Watching. Waiting. Always alert. Luke understood the threat of that stolen eye: the moment he stepped into the open, he risked being seen.

He and the archangel had clashed several times already. The creature never fully turned him to stone, Luke suspected a complete petrification would kill him outright, and the archangel couldn't risk that. Not inside Luke's own soul. It needed him alive to complete the takeover.

And until he dies, I can't leave this place.

He'd searched everywhere for an exit. They were trapped inside the very core Luke had forged—now embedded into his own soul. Every inch of this place was him.

No wonder I can't open my system. I'm inside the most primitive layer of everything. There's no need for a system here… because the system and the soul are the same thing.

[Shadow Ball activated]

The black sphere materialized in his palm. The notification appeared for a heartbeat before fading. His only glimpse of the system in this place. Then he did something else.

[Soul Infiltration activated]

His rank skill surged to life. A small black cat materialized beside him, tail swishing.

"Meow."

He cast Identify on it.

[Soul Infiltration (Rank F)]: Your dense, assassin nature has given rise to this power. You can infiltrate a fragment of your soul into a target's body. While infiltrated, you can see and hear everything they see and hear. Perfect for espionage, lethal for assassinations. However, the link breaks if your body moves too far from the target. Use with care… and purpose.

My rank skill is soul-based. Interesting. Very interesting.

***

Luke hurled a knife charged with [Burst Throw]. The archangel twisted aside, and those blue eyes locked onto him.

"Found you!" the archangel shouted from above, diving at full speed with four wings spread wide while spears of light formed and rained down.

But Luke didn't run. He didn't panic. He simply stepped out of the projectile's path.

He can't kill me.

The creature hovered over him, spear in hand.

"Outside, I have a Stone Angel as my servant," Luke said, feeling the creeping stiffness of stone consuming more of his body.

"I know. I have all your knowledge. Every scrap of your bloodline. That night, when one of you intruded in my castle and I almost claimed a body… I didn't notice you because of that mask. You would've been an excellent choice."

The archangel raised the spear, aiming it at Luke.

"Ironically, my servant now uses a spear-class too. Your race fascinates me," Luke continued. "A place where the simplest apple was the sweetest I've ever tasted. Where river water felt richer than anything I've drunk."

"And?" the archangel asked.

"There was a legend in my culture about such a place. Eden. Sometimes I wonder if we weren't living in something similar. A kind of paradise."

The archangel narrowed his eyes.

"I see. You don't seem to have much access to Sariel's memories. A shame. But at least you're not completely dull," Luke replied.

His body was hardening faster now. Stone crawling up his limbs. He couldn't move.

"Fool. I can't kill you outright, no. But that doesn't mean I can't reduce you to a state where you can't resist. I only need you still long enough to consume your soul," the archangel murmured, drifting closer.

"I want to tell you something before we continue," Luke said. His voice was strained; movement was no longer an option.

"Tell me something?" Sariel scoffed. "Oh, you'll speak. You'll scream. You'll beg. I'll make this process hurt, demon. After what you did to me, I'll savor every moment of your end."

The archangel's arm plunged forward, striking through Luke's abdomen, not in gore but in a tearing surge of pain that locked his breath. Luke spat blood, unable to lift a hand.

"I gathered every plant from this place. Soil, seeds. Back in the tutorial, I collected everything I could," Luke forced out, staring directly at him.

"And why should that matter to me?"

"I'm going to use all of it to build my kingdom. To create a place where even the simplest apple will taste sweeter than anything in this world. I'll shape my own paradise from the ground up. I'll rebuild what was lost here. So… thank you for letting me wander around, memorizing everything I hadn't yet memorized." He managed a faint smile.

"You're not foolish. You're insane," the archangel replied. "But don't worry. When I take your body out there, I'll take a look at whatever you salvaged from my realm."

And then the process of consuming Luke's soul began.